Kate Laux

1.   What do you value most from your Concordia art therapy experience?

The psychodynamic foundation we were taught brings a well-informed perspective to my work as a humanistic/existential-based therapist. One area that really elevated my learning was the opportunity to immerse myself in six internship sites. Art therapy had never been offered at most of these sites beforehand, so I had the opportunity to incorporate this form of psychotherapy into these organizations. This experience gave me the resourcefulness and confidence required to build an art therapy program in oncology at CanSupport.

2.   Is there a particular memory that stands out from your time at Concordia?

We were asked to place ourselves on a line, with one side representing the art therapist as a clinician and the other as a researcher. I went as far as possible from the research side because I didn’t see myself as a researcher. As the semester progressed, though, I went from one extreme to the other and wanted to become a qualitative arts-based researcher. Since I started working as a professional art therapist, I find myself occupying both roles. I love being both a clinical art therapist and an arts-based researcher, and I wouldn’t give up on either one at this point.

3.   What advice would you give to someone considering art therapy?

Talk with as many art therapists as you can and volunteer with one so you can immerse yourself in the practice. There are many opportunities out there for art therapists, and I strongly encourage all prospective students to consider building their own practices.